Donald A. Norman Quote
AFTER DINNER, WITH A GREAT FLOURISH, my friend Andrew brought out a lovely leather box. Open it, he said, proudly, and tell me what you think. I opened the box. Inside was a gleaming stainless-steel set of old mechanical drawing instruments: dividers, compasses, extension arms for the compasses, an assortment of points, lead holders, and pens that could be fitted onto the dividers and compasses. All that was missing was the T square, the triangles, and the table. And the ink, the black India ink. Lovely, I said. Those were the good old days, when we drew by hand, not by computer. Our eyes misted as we fondled the metal pieces. But you know, I went on, I hated it. My tools always slipped, the point moved before I could finish the circle, and the India ink—ugh, the India ink—it always blotted before I could finish a diagram. Ruined it! I used to curse and scream at it. I once spilled the whole bottle all over the drawing, my books, and the table. India ink doesn’t wash off. I hated it. Hated it! Yeah, said Andrew, laughing, you’re right. I forgot how much I hated it. Worst of all was too much ink on the nibs! But the instruments are nice, aren’t they? Very nice, I said, as long as we don’t have to use them.
AFTER DINNER, WITH A GREAT FLOURISH, my friend Andrew brought out a lovely leather box. Open it, he said, proudly, and tell me what you think. I opened the box. Inside was a gleaming stainless-steel set of old mechanical drawing instruments: dividers, compasses, extension arms for the compasses, an assortment of points, lead holders, and pens that could be fitted onto the dividers and compasses. All that was missing was the T square, the triangles, and the table. And the ink, the black India ink. Lovely, I said. Those were the good old days, when we drew by hand, not by computer. Our eyes misted as we fondled the metal pieces. But you know, I went on, I hated it. My tools always slipped, the point moved before I could finish the circle, and the India ink—ugh, the India ink—it always blotted before I could finish a diagram. Ruined it! I used to curse and scream at it. I once spilled the whole bottle all over the drawing, my books, and the table. India ink doesn’t wash off. I hated it. Hated it! Yeah, said Andrew, laughing, you’re right. I forgot how much I hated it. Worst of all was too much ink on the nibs! But the instruments are nice, aren’t they? Very nice, I said, as long as we don’t have to use them.
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About Donald A. Norman
Much of Norman's work involves the advocacy of user-centered design. His books all have the underlying purpose of furthering the field of design, from doors to computers. Norman has taken a controversial stance in saying that the design research community has had little impact in the innovation of products, and that while academics can help in refining existing products, it is technologists that accomplish the breakthroughs. To this end, Norman named his website with the initialism JND (just-noticeable difference) to signify his endeavors to make a difference.